UN envoy to Lebanon holds talks with senior officials in Cairo

A senior United Nations envoy dealing with Lebanon today held talks on that country and other regional hotspots during meetings in Cairo with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and other senior officials.

Terje Roed-Larsen said afterwards that he and the President had discussed the situation in the broader Middle East, which is now reaching a critical juncture in its history.

The Special Envoy also met with the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, Amr Moussa, and with Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Ghait on Sunday night.

Upon the conclusion of his talks in Cairo, Mr. Roed-Larsen left for Doha this afternoon for consultations with senior officials in Qatar, which currently represents the Arab group in the Security Council.

Mr. Roed-Larsen is tasked with following up on Security Council resolution 1559, which calls for an end to foreign influence in Lebanon, the disarming and disbanding of militias and the holding of free and fair presidential elections. Last year, Syria complied with the text's provision calling for the withdrawal of foreign forces from Lebanon.